The Purity Project
by Equida
Summary: A project dubbed Purity, it is run by a multi- billionaire on a sprawling estate. A team of highly- talented scientists have been gathered here to work on Purify, drawn here by the unbeatable salaries and irresistible benefits. The project itself is a rat


For those who are first- time readers of my fanfics, I suggest you scroll down to somewhere about one- third of the way down this page. My uber- long apology/ author's note will mean nothing to you. But for those who know me...  
  
A teenage girl strolls in, humming softly to herself. Noticing the horde of angry, red- eyed people glaring at her, she breaks into a smile.  
  
"Why, hello there! Have you been waiting—Eeep!" She ducks behind a couch as a torrent of rotten eggs and slimey tomatoes are thrown in her general direction. (The couch just magically appeared, okay? Don't question me...)  
  
((5 second pause))  
  
She slowly pokes her head back up. "Now, I'm sure you didn't—"The crowd suddenly brandishes wooden swords and flaming torches. (They just "magically" appeared to, 'kay?) "...mean to hurt...me..." she trails off helplessly. Suddenly, she jumps up, frantic, and races for the door. Just two steps away, a (magic) gust of wind slams it shut in her faced. Cornered, she cowers against the way, her eyes wide with fear. The crowd of people advances, swords a-waving, torches, a-flaming, and jump on the girl. In a flurry of action, the group tears at her hair, their nails leaving angry red marks against her tender skin, the teeth ripping away un—  
  
OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH! I'd rather not die at the ripe old age of 13, thank you very much. –evil glare towards the sadistic, too- active, overly- imaginative, sleep- deprived part of my brain- Go back to sleep, you! ((Zzzzzz...))  
  
Erm, yeah... anyways...  
  
I suppose you want an apology now, eh? But, really... ten months isn't really /that/ long a period of time...  
  
IamterriblysorryifIhavecausedyouanyemotionaldistressand/orangst(althoughIdou btthatsinceIamnotthattalentedofawriter)duringthe –GASP- ratherlongperiodoftime(evenforme)IdisapearedfromsightandIapologizeforanyinco nvenience.  
  
What? You can't understand that? You mean you /can't/ just read my mind...? Awww, that ruins things a bit...  
  
Translation: I am terribly sorry if I have caused you any emotional distress and/ or angst (although I doubt that since I am not that talented of a writer) during the rather long period of time (even for me) I disappeared from sight and I apologize for any inconvenience.  
  
There. Happy? No...? Fine then... I'll answer a couple of questions...  
  
Q: Where the fuck have you been?  
  
A: Hrm, that's a hard one. Let's see... I've been in my room, my bathroom, and other areas of my house. I've been going to school and volleyball practice. I've been attending art and piano lessons. I've been on a road trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and back. I've driven (okay, my parents have driven me) to Red River, New Mexico where I stayed for a week and spent the majority of the time on my poor ass (I was supposed to be snowboarding, but I'm not that coordinated and I have absolutely no sense of balance). I went on a plane trip to Europe and stayed in Paris for a five days and London for two (and I got to ride one of those awesomely- new planes with the in- flight entertainment systems! ^_^). I've been...  
  
What? That's enough? Well, you /said/ you wanted to know...  
  
Anyway, I've just been pretty busy with school and meaningless crud like that (actually, I like learning, but you really don't learn anything in school anymore, at least I don't...). And then I've got the State Bowl in Austin in two weeks, and Guild a month after that, and then there are those retarded CBE tests I've got to take... basically, I've had /no/ time to myself this year, so writing, unfortunately, was put on hold. Pity, isn't it?  
  
Q: You SAID you'd update when you got 10 reviews!!!  
  
A: That's not a question, that's an accusation! But, alas, it's an easy one, so I'll "answer" it. I /know/ I promised that I would, and I truly did try, but... it just wasn't mean to be. If it makes you feel any better, you can just think that I lied and hate me forever, ne? Besides, I don't think I ever /did/ get my 10 reviews...  
  
Anyways, the story now. If this gets any longer it'll be longer than the measly little chapter I have for you. I do have to say this, though. I'm trying... really, I am. Leave a question or two in your review (wink wink, nudge nudge) and maybe I'll answer a couple more.  
  
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The Purity Project  
  
A/N: Bad name, I know. I'll be sure to tell you when I change it. Oh, and just for clarification, when words are in these thingys '' (I forgot what they're called), it's a thought. When they're in quotations "", it's a character speaking (duh), and when they're between two slashes /, they're supposed to be stressed, as if they were in italics, but I can't figure out how to do that. And before I forget...  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha. I most likely never will. Boohoo.  
  
Full Summary: A project dubbed Purity, it is run by a multi- billionaire on a sprawling estate. A team of highly- talented scientists have been gathered here to work on Purify, drawn here by the unbeatable salaries and irresistible benefits. The project itself is a rather simple concept; children are placed here at birth and kept under careful watch throughout their life. Why he was doing this the man, whom the called Master or Sir, would not say. When questioned, which was a rare occasion, he would say that he was trying to create an environment where the children would stay pure, where they would not be corrupted. But really, who knew what went on behind that mask of his...  
  
Chapter One  
  
The inhabitants have no names, only numbers. They are locked up in individual rooms without of any hint luxury. There are no windows from which to see the beautifully groomed lawns on this floor, only doors that remain forever locked. There are no telephones, no televisions, no computers, no radios, nothing that retains a trace of the outside world. What goes in rarely comes out, whether it be a person or an object, and is always carefully monitored. And they stay there, in their own private rooms, day in, day out, week after week, month after month, year after endless year. They are alone.  
  
The floor above this one is decked out in white and chrome, and panels upon panels of glass. It is filled with the most advanced technology, almost everything was digital, and each item was expensive. This is where /they/ work. The scientists, and /him/. Here, they analyze the data they have collected, mainly about what the children have been doing, how much they've been eating, their vital stats and other basic observations. Meaningless stuff, really, but if that's what /he/ wanted, that's what he would get. It was his money they were wasting, not their own.  
  
.::~*~.^.~*~::.  
  
The glowing numbers on the wall clock read 1:08 as Kikyo was making her routine inspection. The raven haired girl was new here, and so she always had last dibs on jobs. Once again, she had the night shift, which was by far the simplest shift, but usually left her sleep-deprived. Unlike the other shifts, the person on duty during the night shift was not required to communicate with one of the "patients", basically, all you had to do was walk through the hall and make sure they weren't doing anything strange, since the doors were made of a special material, a type of glass that you can see through on one side, but could not on the other.  
  
"On the outside looking in," Kikyo mused. "Once again..."  
  
She had been feeling rather left out the past few days, since everyone knew everyone else, but she knew no one here. "And no one knows me..." she whispered.  
  
"Did you say something?" Kikyo jumped, turning around, then visibly relaxed. It was only Sesshomaru, another scientist who was working for /him/. A white haired man with violet eyes, he was possibly the most handsome guy she had ever seen. 'But he probably already has a girlfriend,' She had seen him around with another girl, Kagura or something like that. It was the story of her life. Everything she had ever wanted, whether it be a scholarship or the cute guy sitting nest to her at the movies, someone else had gotten.  
  
But he was still staring at her inquisitively, so she hastened to answer. "N-no," she mumbled. "Just talking to myself." Kikyo managed a small laugh, but it seemed fake, even to her. Briskly, changing the subject, she asked, "So, what are you doing up at this hour? Shouldn't you be trying to get some sleep or something? I mean, you have the early shift tomorrow, don't you?" 'I sound like a rambling idiot,' she chastised herself. 'What's wrong with me?'  
  
Sesshomaru stared at her for another heartbeat, apparently unsatisfied with this answer, or just unwilling to answer her query. Then his piercing stare moved past her onto the girl in the room behind her and said, in his cool, detached way, "I do not sleep often." He turned away, signifying that their short exchange was over.  
  
After walking a ways, he paused again. "Go get some sleep. I'll cover your shift." Standing there, with his back to her, Kikyo suddenly felt that there was a lot no one knew about this man. The way his long, white hair fell down his back, never tied back intrigued her, and Kikyo wondered how he kept it so in such good shape, and how he could stand working with it in his face. While he stood there motionless, it suddenly occurred to her that he was perhaps waiting to hear the "ding" of the elevator. Hurrying quickly, before he could change his mind about helping her, she made her way to the elevator. It came quickly, the doors shutting tightly, and carried her up to the fourth floor.  
  
'This place is so cold and unfriendly,' she thought to herself while she walked toward her room. 'Everything is so sterile and hospital- like, I haven't seen anything that isn't white or pastel- colored. Except for the first floor, but I haven't been there since the day I came."  
  
The first floor. That was where /he/ stayed the majority of the time. There, the carpets were lush and vibrantly colored. Brilliant tapestry- like curtains with admirable embroidery framed the floor- to- ceiling windows, which looked out to the expertly cared lawns. The furniture was made from red oak, a color so red it looked as if the wood had been dyed. Beautiful landscapes in oil adorned the wallpapered walls, each in an intricate frame that matched the painting inside perfectly. 'They probably cost more than my whole room,' she thought.  
  
How wrong she was. She had no idea how much money had been spent on the scientists' living quarters. No one did besides /him/, except for perhaps Sesshomaru, but neither of them had any intention of telling. She didn't have any clue as to how technologically advanced her facilities were. Then again, it was all cleverly disguised, all well hidden. All for a reason.  
  
They were brought in under the guise that they were to be conducting a study that revolved around the purity of humans. The project itself was already so remarkable that no one questioned /his/ sincerity. He was, in fact, a very persuasive man, Coupled with the fact that the experiment was so complex the way it is, no one thought that there would be any more to it. But there was more, much more.  
  
The Purity Project, as it was called, involved taking a couple of children at birth, before they were even three months old. Most of them were orphans, children of teenage mothers, who could not take care of their young. /He/ took them in, and raised them. They learned to read and write, as most children, but one thing was different. One very important thing. They were raised with almost no human contact.  
  
As babies, the scientists fed them, but as soon as they could feed themselves, they were put into their own individual rooms. Of course, even as toddlers, they were kept isolated, no more than one person was in the room with them at a time and never with those their age. They were watched carefully, however, their movements and rate of development carefully recorded. Thanks to the electrochromatic walls, they could be watched, but could not watch others.  
  
Seventeen years has passed since that day the first scientists were brought in. Through the years, children have been added at regular intervals, and they had about 20 now. But recently, /he/ started another portion of the project, one he kept secret. One no one knew about.  
  
It was the reason he spent billions upon billions of dollars to refurnish his house. It was the reason he also brought in new scientists at regular intervals, despite the toll it had his diminishing nest egg. It was the reason the old scientists were kept, so they could not blab about the project. It was the reason behind everything.  
  
As Kikyo got ready for bed that night, she gazed out her window, admiring the strange glow the moon cast upon the trees bordering the mansion. So many things were going through her mind at the moment, so many questions yet to be answered. There was so much mystery surrounding this place, so many secrets.  
  
What was on the fifth floor? She had never been there, the elevator only went up to the fourth, the level they stayed on, and she had not yet located the stairs. She hadn't had much time to, for that matter. They were always kept busy, there was always something to do. And when she was done with it all, all she wanted to do was to sleep. There wasn't any need to, she supposed, her job was just to watch /them/ on the second, and, if necessary, do tests and such on the third. When she had time to herself, she was advised to spend it on the fourth floor, where there was a kitchen, plasma TVs, and all the entertainment to keep one busy for years. But she knew there was a fifth floor. What was on it?  
  
Glancing at her watch, she discovered that it was now almost 2:30 in the morning. "Sesshomaru is surely to have finished the rounds by now," she mused. Now would be a perfect time to go exploring.  
  
Slipping back into her jeans and a dark shirt, she quietly opened her bedroom door. Glancing left, then right, she stepped out into the hallway and gently shut the door behind her. Always light on her feet, she had no trouble making it way down the corridor without noise. When she reached the end of the passage, she stopped. Which way to turn?  
  
The fourth floor had a layout similar to most schools. There was a central hall, and a few wings extended out from it. The to her left consisted of bedrooms, as did the ones across from it, which she knew to be almost identical to hers. The next one was the kitchen, and across from it a chamber much like the living room of most houses that contained all the entertainment systems. Beside that was a hallway she had not yet explored. And at one end of the main corridor, the one near the kitchen, was the elevator. The other end was a small cupola, which had a breathtaking view of the lake, and the grove of trees surrounding it. Since the stairs were kept from her, she assumed that they would be hidden from everyone else, too, so she made her way to the cupola. Perhaps there was a secret door concealed in the wall or something. On her way there, she passed the unfamiliar hallway, and decided to take a peak in it. Treading softly, she turned the doorknob, holding her breath and wondering what wonders where hidden inside.  
  
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Whew! That has got to be the longest chapter I've ever written. Aren't you proud? And one of my pathetic attempts at a cliffhanger, too. Anyways, if you want to see another one before another 10 months have passed, review! Got it? Click the little purplish-blue button that says "Review" on it. Simple as that. It doesn't have to be long or full of praise, I appreciate any comments you may have. And criticism, for that matter, as long as it's constructive. I won't rest until I get 10 for this chapter. 


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